Good Morning Friends,
“If your brother sins against you, go and show
him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won
your brother over. If he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that
‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If
he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to
listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Whatever
you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:15-18)
The primary focus of this passage is the
importance of relationships and a commitment to help other people -- even when
you have to do hard things in order to help them.
Jesus is challenging us not to let problems
between fellow Christians go on, but to do all that can be done to repair the relationship.
The first step is a loving and gentle confrontation. If that doesn’t resolve the
relational problem, then bring in a couple of mature Christians to help. The
next step is to involve the church -- probably referring to its leadership. Those
serious steps show how important relationships between people are to the Lord.
I’ve had to learn to handle confrontation over
the years. But I still know that I’m more likely to just let things go and do
nothing than I am to confront. If something goes wrong in a relationship it’s
hard to take the initiative to do something to try to repair it. But, it’s
worth it! The way we relate with other people is one of only two things on
earth that will last into eternity (the other is our relationship with God and
His Word).
Jesus challenges us to take our relationships
with others seriously and do all that we can to keep them right. “If it is
possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans
12:18)
His, by Grace, Steve
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